Continuous reader/printer projectors are well known in the art for reproducing on print paper microfilm information normally stored on 16-mm. roll film. These reader/printer projectors normally include a casing having a projection screen and including appropriate print paper moving components. Appropriate mirrors and a projection lens are incorporated in the display screen casing. Positioned in spaced relationship below the casing is normally provided a control housing incorporating an appropriate light source. A 16-mm. film cartridge containing the microfilm is positionable between the display casing and control housing so that the light source will be directed up through successive images of the film to the projection lens and by way of the mirrors to the print paper and also to the display screen. In these systems, the 16-mm. roll microfilm in a cartridge is driven by the print paper moving motor at an appropriate proportional rate so that continuous printing is effected without any blurred images. The paper print-out is magnified, for example, 24 times, during this process.
It has become increasingly desirable in certain situations to store data on microfiche as opposed to microfilm. A microfiche constitutes a rectangular film having a plurality of columns in side-by-side parallel relationship, each column in turn containing data. In some instances, there may be as many as 12 separate images in a column so that as much as 60 different images can be stored on a single microfiche where 5 columns are provided.
While specially designed readers and printers are known for reproducing information from microfiche, there are certain applications where it is desirable to provide a continuous print paper of certain data such as graphic information; for example, an oil well log, which information normally could not be accommodated in a single microfiche image in one column. Thus, continuing with the example of an oil well log, the data could be accommodated on a microfiche by utilizing an entire column for a portion of the log and then utilizing the next column as a continuation of the log, and so forth. However, to provide a continuous print-out of this information with normally provided microfiche printing equipment, a series of separate images up to 60 would have to be printed and then the various print papers connected together to provide the desired log.
Where the log information is stored on a continuous 16-mm. microfilm, there is no problem in providing a continuous print-out of the log and presently available reader/printer projectors for this purpose are well known. It would clearly be desirable, however, if the available known reader/printer projectors for microfilm could also be utilized to read out oil well log information stored on a microfiche.